Google class action settlement to pay Android users $135M

Google class action settlement overview:

• Who: Google agreed to pay $135 million to resolve a class action lawsuit.
• Why: Android device users claimed Google allowed passive data transfers without their knowledge or consent.
• Where: The Google settlement was reached in California federal court.

Google agreed to pay $135 million to resolve class action allegations that it carried out passive data transfers through the Android operating system without consumers’ knowledge or consent.

Plaintiffs Joseph Taylor, Mick Cleary and Jennifer Nelson filed a motion seeking preliminary approval of the Google class action settlement on Jan. 28.

Under the terms of the Google settlement, the company will establish a $135 million nonreversionary settlement fund to compensate a proposed class of more than 100 million Americans who used Android-powered smartphones with cellular data plans provided by mobile carriers between Nov. 12, 2017, and the date of final judgment.

Settlement class members will receive a pro rata payment of up to $100 per person after deductions for attorney fees, costs, incentive awards and administrative costs, according to the plaintiffs.

The proposed settlement class excludes California-based Android users who are covered by a separate proposed class action pending in state court on behalf of approximately 14 million users in the state.

In that dispute, a Santa Clara County Superior Court jury in July 2025 awarded the plaintiffs more than $314.6 million after finding that Google unlawfully caused Android devices to secretly send certain information over cellular networks for Google’s own purposes.

Google Android transferred data even when devices were idle, lawsuit alleges

The plaintiffs alleged Google’s Android operating system used consumers’ cellular data even when their devices were idle or connected to Wi-Fi.

“While the plaintiffs’ Android devices are in their purses and pockets, and even while sitting seemingly idle on the plaintiffs’ nightstands as they sleep, Google’s Android operating system secretly appropriates cellular data paid for by the plaintiffs,” the Google class action lawsuit says.

According to the plaintiffs, Google’s conduct violated consumer privacy rights and caused users to incur unnecessary data charges, while the company’s terms of service allegedly failed to clearly disclose these practices.

As part of the Google settlement, the company will revise Google Play terms to explain that certain data transfers occur “in the background, when you are not directly interacting with your device,” may rely on cellular data when a device is not connected to Wi-Fi and cannot always be disabled.

The injunctive relief terms will also require Google to obtain Android users’ affirmative consent before using their cellular data by adding a new section to the “setup flow,” with an “accept” button displayed to all Android users who set up a new device.

Additionally, Google agreed to take steps to deactivate the “allow background data usage” toggle, which plaintiffs allege failed to stop data transfers despite suggesting otherwise, to ensure the feature is no longer misleading.

Earlier this year, Google and Alphabet agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging they unlawfully recorded users’ conversations through Google Assistant-enabled devices without consent.

What do you think of the terms of this Google class action settlement? Let us know in the comments.

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